I don't envy Jim Press. Sure, he's a top automotive executive, previously head of Toyota North America, but now he has to make Chrysler work. At a recent Western Automotive Journalists' dinner, Press pointed out that Chrysler's non-North American market share is less than one percent. Chrysler suffered from the same ills affecting Ford and GM, but was hit worse--it was spending too much money to make each car. Quality suffered and hurt the brand image. All of which led to the titanic shifts in this century, with Daimler buying the company then spinning it off just a few years later.

But Press is working hard on the comeback. For one, Chrysler is no longer a public company, giving him more flexibility to make long-term plans. There has been much speculation about Chrysler's current troubles, but as there are no public financial filings, nobody can really talk with authority about the company's health. At this dinner where Press spoke, we got a chance to see four significant new Dodge vehicles: the Ram truck, Challenger, Durango Hybrid, and Journey. All boasted impressive in-dash tech, MyGig entertainment systems with navigation and live traffic-- not something we would expect in a Dodge. And that's part of Press' problem--getting us to expect quality cars from Chrysler.